A Highland Home A Contemporary Highland Romance Book Two by Cali MacKay

position, the man crumpling in pain.
    Angus applied a bit more pressure, and the guy stifled a squeak, throwing the friend a quick warning to not get involved. “I said it’s time you go. Wouldn’t ye agree?”
    When the guy nodded, Angus pushed him towards his friend. “I suggest showing the lady some respect next time.”
    Once they’d scurried off with a few hateful glares, Angus ran his hands down her arms, his touch comforting. “Are ye all right, love?”
    “Yeah. Just glad you showed up when you did.” She tried to keep the tension from her voice, but now that those jerks were gone, her façade slipped lose and she realized just how uneasy they’d made her.
    Angus pulled her into the safety of his arms and held her to him, his body still stiff and bristling from the incident. With her head against his chest, she slipped her arms around his waist, the solid feel of him reassuring, and his scent of wool and leather comforting. He kissed the top of her head and then leaned his cheek there. “Ye’re safe, love. I promise. I won’t let ye come to harm.”
    And it really was that simple. She knew she could trust him. Not only to keep her safe, but to be there for her-in a way no other man ever had. Not Stephen, and certainly not her father.
    Yet she still feared she’d muck it all up if she let it get serious. But maybe, just maybe… Would he be willing to keep things casual until she could get her life sorted out? That way, no one would get hurt if things didn’t work out. Really, she shouldn’t even go down that road, but she found herself thinking of him more and more with each passing day, and as of late, she didn’t think either of them could stay away from each other, even if they tried.
    When she looked up at him, her stomach fluttered and her pulse skipped a beat, so she felt like a teenager with a schoolgirl crush. Going up onto her tippy toes, she kissed his cheek. “You’re the sweetest guy I know, Angus. No one even comes close.”
    There was a delicious tension between them and he looked at her with such intensity, she nearly gasped, their kiss in his mother’s kitchen still fresh on her mind. His hands trailed up her back, cupping her face as his gaze fell to her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes.
    And then he kissed her, slow and sweet, yet with an intensity and passion held in check, coiled tight just below the surface. She lost herself in him as he deepened their kiss, her head spinning as she wished it’d never end. Oblivious to the crowded bar around them, she held onto him, trying to pull him even closer. She couldn’t ever remember wanting anyone more.
    He pulled away, the air between them charged like a thunderstorm on a scorching summer night. He bit her lip, once, twice and then nuzzled her as he held her to him. His words were but a whisper in her ear, laced with humor and need. “Sweet, huh? Who knew?”
    ***
    Rowan sat cross-legged in the middle of Angus’s bed, the adjoining door to her hotel room open.  With her laptop on the bed and Angus sitting behind her, she tapped away, looking for any information on her mom’s roommate. “I’m not even sure that’s her. There’s so little to start with, and it’s all unlisted.”
    “There’s also a good chance she got married, and we’re looking for her under her maiden name.”
    He was right. Damn it. “This is impossible.” They’d been at it for hours.
    “Take a break, love. Ye’re getting frustrated.” He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Bloody hell. Yer shoulders are in knots.”
    He sat up, and with both hands on her shoulders, started to massage her stiffened muscles, working his way down her back. And damn if the man didn’t leave her melting into a puddle of mind blowing amazement. “Oh, god. Don’t stop. And how the hell are you still single? Seriously?”
    “I don’t know, love. You tell me.” He laughed, his breath warm against her ear, sending a shiver of want